Pearl/Appearance
As the principal female role in Starlight Express, Pearl gets a lot of attention. Her costume always puts her centre-stage, being a feminine confection in pink and white. But over the years her design has developed significantly from her 1984 roots. London Before the original London production was opened to the public, Stephanie Lawrence wore multiple variations of the costume during the previews, as the producers were trying to decide which costume suited her character. She started with hot pink and black, developing to pink and white The skirt was the last addition to the design. It was later decided for Pearl to wear the mostly white costume, with black piping and a puffball skirt, when the London production opened. After the London production was revised in 1992, Reva Rice brought her Broadway costume over to London, and this costume design was subsequently used throughout the remainder of the London production. In 1999, Pearl's costume was adapted, with the removal of the 'OBSERVATION' panel in favor of a visible cleavage. She would carry on this version of her costume until the closure of the London production in 2002. Pearl L84 Stephanie Lawrence 4.jpg|Earliest version, pre-opening photoshoot Pearl L84 Stephanie Lawrence 3.jpg|Enormous shoulderpads Pearl L84 Stephanie Lawrence 2.jpg|Second take on pink/black, much more streamlined Electra Pearl L84 Heat 2.jpg|All pink/white but no skirt Rusty Pearl L84 2.jpg|Final version of the original costume Rusty Pearl April 1985 Ray Shell 2.jpg|Ray Shell and Kim Leeson, 1985. The final version of the original Pearl design that was in use until Reva Rice brought her Broadway style costume to London in 1992. Broadway Pearl Design 2.jpg Pearl Design 1.jpg The Broadway production saw a new design for Pearl's costume, with a newly-designed miniskirt with a 'PM' monogram, (representing her role as a Pullman car), as well as an 'OBSERVATION' panel covering her cleavage. The Broadway costumes were then used for the 1989 US Tour, and again for the Las Vegas Production's initial press and first months of production. Bochum The Bochum production saw little change to Pearl's costume, which had been brought over from Broadway, as the original set of costumes were made for the German production by Parsons-Meares in New York. Firstly, in recent years, the neckline was lowered slightly, although it didn't go beyond the "OBSERVATION" panel, secondly, the center of her belt was made slightly more rectangular, and the edges smoother. And thirdly, her shoulder boxes were made smaller and more rounded around the edges. Wig: Pearl's wig was, like her costume, very pink! She has long pink-white-purple or red curls, with a ponytail at the top of her head, on which her tiara sits. Every actress has a different crown. The original wig actually was gold-blonde, afterwards it started to get black and then pink. When the synthetic hair quality wasn't as good yet, it was made out of human hair, that was very damaged from the colouring processes, so it wasn't as long. As nowadays her hair is the longest, the actresses have to move their heads quite a lot to make sure the hair doesn't get in their or others' way (e.g. in Pumping Iron). Make-Up: Of course Pearl's make-up is very pink and glittery, too. Her eyeshadow contains of several different pink tones. On top she wears thick, long, black lashes, that have rhinestones glued onto the bottom (the light reflecting in them can be seen onstage, if you watch closely). Her blush and lips are pink as well. Like the other Coaches, she has very human-like beauty makeup. Often times the actresses wear glittery earstuds to complete the look. Bochum 2018 For the German production's 30th anniversary, John Napier updated many of the costume designs. Pearl received a complete new costume, removing all traces of the pink colour. Rather than "Observation", her label now reads "FIRST CLASS". Pearl's wig and headpiece received the most drastic redesign - no longer does she have a long, full pink wig, now her hair is slicked back into a straight high ponytail, with no bangs or hair around her face. She has a headband and Russian-style "KokoshnikThe Kokoshnik Explained" tiara, featuring a window design, and the ponytail is supported in a silver cone. This dramatic change has led to some reports of the actress using her natural hair. This is not the case, Georgina Hagen is naturally brunette, but the intention is clearly a much more natural, very understated hairstyle. Pearl Georgina Hagen b18 press.jpg Rusty Pearl b18 press.jpg Rusty Pearl 1006 06.jpg Las Vegas When the musical went to Las Vegas, Reva Rice originally used her costume from the Broadway/ US Tour productions. However, a few months into the production, her costume was drastically altered to fit into the 'Vegas Showgirl' theme, with more than half of the original fabric removed. As a result, her costume lost the 'OBSERVATION' panel over the bust, the front panel of her skirt with the 'PM' monogram, and her leggings. The remaining panels also had their pink inlay removed in favor of a almost totally white panel. And as a result of the loss of the 'PM' monogram, her belt has a 'PRR' monogram on it. The subsequent US and UK tours would use this costume. However, her costume became slightly altered when the show opened its Asian Tour in 2013. When it came to Hong Kong and Singapore, like all the coaches, she is wearing her Las Vegas-era costume, with a few differences of fit due to the costume being altered for a different actress. In Expreso Astral, Pearl's costume was a heavily-based on her late London costume. The only difference is the ends of her miniskirt, which ended pointed instead of flat, and the PM monogram was missing. However, sometime during the show's run, her leggings were removed, which provides some justification as all the other coaches were not wearing leggings, with the exception of Buffy, who wore her silver tights. 'Wigs' Pearl generally wears a blonde or pink wig, but there have been exceptions where she wore black to flatter an actress' skin-tone. Pearl's wig has drastically changed with the improving technology in good quality artificial hair. Her older wigs were human hair, bleached and dyed to pink, however her more recent wigs have been artificial fibers. These fibers allow a much longer, more vivid colored and glossier wig. The recurring style of Pearl's hair has been for the top to be pulled back into a high ponytail, with the lower hair long and unrestrained. She usually has some form of tiara or hair-clip at the base of the ponytail. In the London production, the earliest wig had black in the center, fading through pink to white, with a heavy 1980s fashionable fringe. Throughout the 1980s she remained very fashionable, with fluffy, extremely voluminous hair. In 1992 Reva Rice brought her US Tour costume to London, and with it a sleek deeper pink wig, which became the style for the rest of the 1990s. In 1999, along with an updated costume design, her wig was styled into bouncing ringlets. Pearl L84 Stephanie Lawrence Diana 1.jpg|1984 Pearl Electra Kim Leeson Koffi Missah wendy23.jpg|c. 1989 Coaches L91 1.jpg|1991 Pearl L92 Reva Rice 1.jpg|1992 Rusty Pearl L94 Paul Baker Claudia Bradley 1.jpg|1994 In Broadway and the 1st US tour, she had a conical clip which made her topknot stand up. For the Broadway production, Reva Rice didn't wear a wig at all, although the costume design called for a short crop similar to Joule's Broadway design. Her hair was styled into a bun, resembling a ballet dancer. When Reva continued with the US Tour, and subsequently played Pearl in London and Las Vegas, she wore a pink wig as per normal. Following the Las Vegas production, the 2nd US tour and subsequent UK tours saw the delicate pink wig being replaced by a darker blonde wig that ended at her shoulders. The intention is probably a more natural appearing "Strawberry blonde", but the result is rather understated compared to the other elements in the show. Pearl Design 2.jpg|Pearl wig design, Broadway 1986 Rusty Coaches US87 Engine of Love 2.jpg|Reva Rice as Pearl, Broadway 1987 Pearl Us93 Reva Rice 02.jpg|Reva Rice as Pearl, Las Vegas 1993 In Bochum, her topknot was adorned with a small tiara. In 1989, African-American Lovette George played Pearl, her wig was a more natural looking black with braids and a fashionable fluffy fringe, along with long curls. Her wig had sparkly pieces pinned in. Later 1990s wigs were pink/blonde natural hair, which loses the dye when washed. By the early 2000s, fake hair was being used, giving much longer, brighter colored and much shinier wigs. The most magnificent wig was pink with magenta and black streaks. Pearl's wig is worth approximately €2,500Sian Velazquez vlog - quote from Martin Manneck, or $2,650 US dollars. Pearl b88 Maria Jane Hyde 2.jpg|1988 Pearl b89 Lovette George 2.jpg|1989 Pearl Claudia Bradley b9202.jpg|1992 Rusty Pearl 2003.jpg|2003 Coaches b10 2.jpg|2010 Pearl b14 Trina Hill 1.jpg|2014 Pearl's makeup is comparatively natural-looking stage makeup, and usually consists of pink and white accents, and sometimes purple or blue in her eye shadow depending on production. She also wears pink lipstick that can be slightly glittery. Non Replica Productions The short-lived Starlight on Ice production saw a completely new design for Pearl's costume. Her costume no longer had any pink, but blue and silver. Her skirt was fashioned around a wheel on her hips, as with all the coaches, her gloves had small metal-framed windows and she wore a small hat. Inside her skirt, near invisible to the audience, was painted a landscape view, as if seen through the Observation Car's windows. Category:Design